An accountant is embarking on an eight-day mission trip to the second poorest country in the Western hemisphere in a bid to help needy families.Ian Nash, 33, will be travelling to Matagalpa, Nicaragua to take part in construction and community projects with Corner of Love Ministries.He admits he is not overly religious, but said he dropped his plans to go skiing with friends in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado to take part in the meaningful project.Mr Nash, an employee at A.F. Smith in Hamilton, will spend the next two weeks raising money for medical supplies that will help the poverty-stricken people in San Ramon.The mission team will be largely comprised of doctors and dentists with the “True Servants Medical-Dental Brigade”.But Mr Nash expects to be put to work constructing a new medical clinic and helping occupy children, while their parents are getting treated.Near Matagalpa, children rarely complete elementary school and most people survive on less than $1 a day.The Canadian national said people in the area could wait up to 12 hours in line-ups, with their child in their arms, just to see a doctor.So far, he has raised close to $5,000 worth of medical supplies for his trip.Family members in Newfoundland, Canada hosted a fundraising event on his behalf and raised $1,500; while friends on the Island, and even strangers, have generously offered their support.“A lot of friends have helped and Facebook has been pretty good at getting the word out,” he said. “Everybody thinks or considers doing something like this or has a friend that has done this.“Many people have given it consideration but never done it so when someone hears of a close friend [helping out] they feel the need to really want to give.”He said it hasn’t been easy to ask others to give money or supplies, but continues to actively fundraise because he knows “it is going towards a good cause”.“It’s kind of hard to explain. It is just tremendous. People are just so willing to give. I know Christmas is over and everyone has kind of spent their money but getting back to what I am doing people are really open and willing to give what they can.“Some people cannot afford $50 or $100 but some people will give me a small bottle of children’s vitamins. It makes you feel pretty good that strangers out there will give you what they can even in a not so great economy and after Christmas.”He said monetary donations will go towards medical kits, which cost $500, and can help up to 1,500 people.Alternatively, people can donate any type of over-the-counter medicines including: Visine, Ibuprofen, Hydro-cortisone, LICE kits, cold or cough medicines, Neosporin, adult and children multi-vitamins or anti-fungals like Tinactin or Gyne-Lotrimin.“The more money I raise the more people in the end I am able to help,” he said.Mr Nash will be leaving on February 18 for the humanitarian trip. Anyone interested in donating can contact him on inash[AT]afsmith.bm or inash99[AT]hotmail.com.Useful websites: www.corneroflove.org.